Nathaniel Hawthorne and Khaled Hosseini by Nordmann

While Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner span a gap of over 150 years, they surprisingly have more in common than one would think. The severe differences between the two authors and their novels may be what is first noticeable, but upon further inspection the similarities between the two become evident. Although Hawthorne crafts a tale set around a middle aged women living in Massachusetts during the mid seventeenth century and Hosseini writes about the life of a young Afghani boy during the late twentieth century, both of these novels address the themes of love and guilt, connecting these two seemingly unlike authors. Even with these similarities, Hawthorne and Hosseini are able to showcase how audiences and writing style have developed over the years through their contrasting syntax, diction, and pace.

Themes of love can be found in books spanning all cultures, continents, and centuries, so having these two authors address that in their novels isn’t that astonishing. It’s the way they both craft a complicated relationship between a parent and their illegitimate child, how they cope with the repercussions of their acts, and how they attempt to love them in their own way but ultimately cannot escape the guilt. On one hand with Arthur Dimmesdale and Pearl, Hawthorne allows readers to know that Arthur is Pearl’s father before the majority of the other characters in his book, which allows us to see how his denial of the affair effectively causes his demise. He tries to find his redemption from God, but in the end he allows his guilt to internalize and eat him alive, leaving nothing but an empty shell. On the other hand with Baba and Hassan, Hosseini adds an interesting element by omitting the true nature of their relationship until the end of the book, so the reader is kept in the dark along with Amir and Hassan. Baba never gets the chance to tell Amir or Hassan the truth before he passes, and Hassan never gets the opportunity to learn of his true father. Upon reflection, it is obvious to both the reader and Amir what a toll this takes on Baba. Much like Arthur Dimmesdale, he is ridden with guilt. He, however, chooses to deal with his guilt in a different way. Baba chooses to try and find redemption in worldly things, “… feeding the poor on the streets, building the orphanage, giving money to friends in need, it was all his way of redeeming himself” (Hosseini 302). Hawthorne and Hosseini both demonstrate the need for love and the guilt that comes from trying to seek redemption. 

Although there are many similarities in the themes Hosseini and Hawthorne choose to address, the passage of time between their novels becomes unmistakable when examining their prose. Hawthorne writes in a much older form of English, using words that are rarely used in our modern times. In addition, Hawthorne’s syntax varies greatly from Hosseini’s, but this could be contributed, in part, to their audience. Today’s general public expects information to be direct and to the point, with little patience for details not relevant to the main storyline. This results in The Kite Runner being written in a more blunt and forthright tone while The Scarlet Letter tends to have lengthy paragraphs describing characters, settings, and other facets of the plot that today’s readers would deem “unnecessary”. The style in which Hawthorne writes causes readers to contemplate and be challenged by his ingenuity. For example, in the conclusion of The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne makes a compelling observation about the nature of love and hate, “Philosophically considered, therefore, the two passions seem essentially the same, except that one happens to be seen in a celestial radiance, and the other in a dusky and lurid glow” (Hawthorne 312). Hosseini on the other hand overuses literary devices such as metaphors and smilies; but does somewhat acknowledge his tendency to do so, “ …but I always thought clichés got a bum rap. Because, often, they're dead-on. But the aptness of the clichéd saying is overshadowed by the nature of the saying as a cliché” (Hosseini 197). The point he makes is fairly valid but it makes for a tiresome read when used too frequently. 

Pace is another large factor that has changed throughout the years and is contrasted in these two novelists. In today’s fast paced society, readers expect to be constantly stimulated, with little downtime in between major events. Hosseini certainly delivers on this front, filling his book with many layers and circumstances for Amir to preserve through. The downfall to this is that if it is not well written, it can almost become repetitive. The Kite Runner is filled with poetic justice, especially at the end, which becomes too picture perfect to be realistic, ruining the illusion of Amir’s world for the reader. The Scarlet Letter, on the other hand, is much slower paced, but the action that does come causes the reader to hang on to every word. Granted the occasional passage can get a little tedious, but the climaxes and turning points of the novel make up for it by causing readers to savor the action and appreciate the shocking twists Hawthorne provides. 

Overall, Hosseini and Hawthorne demonstrate how literature has been able to stay constant throughout the years while still evolving with the culture around it to stay relevant to new generations of readers.